


Registered

by Dreamelilly018



Series: Oddities [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Contains some Latin, Contains some Spanish, Coven leader Lilith Clawthorne - Freeform, Deaged Character, Demon Realm (The Owl House), Friendship, Gen, Hexide, Lilith knows Spanish, Luz speaks Spanish, Mama Eda, Mentor Eda Clawthorne, Mentor Lilith Clawthorne, Mistaken Identity, Swearing, Teacher Eda Clawthorne, Teacher Lilith Clawthorne, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:56:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29917938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamelilly018/pseuds/Dreamelilly018
Summary: When it comes time for Luz to attend Hexide, Eda takes her to the register office. While there, Luz wasn't expecting to meet Eda's long, lost sister or be mistaken for her mentor's daughter.**COMPLETE**
Relationships: Amity Blight & Lilith Clawthorne, Amity Blight & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & King, Eda Clawthorne & King & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda, King & Luz Noceda, Lilith Clawthorne & Luz Noceda
Series: Oddities [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200053
Comments: 11
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter One

Eda had just wanted an easy day to spend time with her apprentice after getting her registered for her classes at Hexide before the new term started. Was it too much to ask for a simple, easy day?

Apparently, much to her irritation, it had been wrong to assume. There seemed like no easy days could some her way with an excitable and bouncing apprentice like Luz Noceda. Regenerationis Die proved to be just like others in the past. 

At least Regenerationis Die had been one of her good days. With the curse slowly sapping her strength, there had been many bad days where she had to hide it behind a cup of Appleblood, a potion or two for her pain, and a false smile to not worry the child under her chair. Thankfully that day, there was no need for any potions or a false smile. After a cup of Appleblood and remembering the date, she prepared to gather all the needed paperwork to start the long and painstaking process of enrolling her ward in the local magic school. 

Thankfully, Luz had slept in for once and gave her time to get everything together before waking her. She had been up late the night prior, half because of her own excitement of getting a tour around Hexide and the other because of her past experience in the Human Realm. It wasn't just the early hours of the morning did the human fall asleep after Eda giving her a light sleeping potion to calm her. 

Standing in front of the wood-burning stove and shoving a few logs in, the cursed witch still felt the longing of sleep tugging at her. Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she set to work, thinking of a quick meal that wouldn't upset Luz's sensitive stomach but also use what little ingredients were left in the Owl House at the moment. She was halfway in the pantry when she heard the telltale signs of either King or Luz coming down the flight of stairs. 

Turning around, she caught sight of King, a small canine demon, pulling himself into one of the three chairs around the table. He looked utterly exhausted and rested his head on the table, pink eyes half-lidded. "Good morning, Eda," he greeted as she emerged with a few ingredients in her arms and closing the pantry door behind her. "Any idea of what we are going to have for breakfast?"

Waiting a moment to place the items onto the table and turn to dig through a messy cupboard, she pulled out a notebook, settling down beside her tired roommate." I'm not so sure yet," she replied, flipping through the notebook and glancing up every few seconds. "Most ingredients we have are odd and wouldn't taste good together if I tried to make a weird combination. And there is also Luz's sensitivity to her stomach. Don't want her to get sick on a day like today, King. Speaking of the kiddo, how was the potion when you woke up? Did it still have an effect on her?"

"She was still passed out," King replied with a yawn, raising his skull-covered head. "I don't know how much you gave her but I think it might have been too much. She slept through the morning greeting of Hooty's singing."

Hearing this, the Owl Lady cringed. Sleeping through a loud performance was almost impossible, even for someone like Luz, who slept like a rock. "I will have to correct my dosage if she ever needs it again," she said, finally landing on a recipe. It was fairly simple and if remembering correctly, came from the back of a box from the Human Realm. While there would have to be some substitutions, it would be a nice treat for Luz to have after getting very little sleep. 

"Do you want to start mixing the batter while I go wake the sleeping beaute?" Eda placed the notebook in front of her roommate, getting to her feet. "Hopefully, she won't be that hard to wake up. But either way, even if I have to carry her, I will be down in about five minutes. Just mix the batter and set the table. I will cook the pancakes. We don't want a repeat of last time when Luz ended up at the Healer's for almost three full days."

Grimacing, King nodded. "Never again," he said with a shudder. "I never thought humans could ever turn that vivid of green before."

"Apparently they aren't supposed to." Eda gave a shrug before turning around, pausing at the doorway before ducking out of the kitchen. Walking up the flight of stairs and opening the door to Luz's room, the child's caregiver stepped in, careful to look at the floor in case she was in the process of changing. "Kiddo, it's time to wake up. We have places that we need to be at today. Later, after we are done with things at Hexide, you can sleep for a bit longer before we do some things this afternoon."

Groaning in response, Luz simply just rolled onto her other side, turning away from Eda, pulling her extra blanket over her head, blocking the sunlight streaming through the now opened curtains. "Too tired," she mumbled, curling up and drawing her knees close to her. "No wanna get up."

"Kiddo, you have been waiting for this day for days," Eda pointed out. "Don't you want to get registered to attend Hexide?"

"I'm sleepy," she whined after a moment, her voice higher than usual. "I'm a sleepy little owlet." 

While on any other occasion Eda would have smiled fondly, today wasn't that moment. "Sorry but sleepy little Owlets shouldn't have stayed up until almost dawn because they were too excited," she replied, grabbing the blanket and pulling it out of grab range of the preteen. "You can be a sleepy little Owlet at a later date when you are needed to wake early, kiddo."

"Please, EEEDDAAA!"

"No, LUUZZZZ," she replied back, placing the blanket onto a pile of junk next to her apprentice's head. "It is time for you to get up, kiddo. You better get up now or I will have Hooty come in here and sing you awake."

Almost at once, the ten-year-old shot up, scrambling to her feet before letting out a massive yawn. "You are so cruel," she said, blinking her eyes sleepily. "That is a cruel and unusual punishment. The Bill of Rights says that it is illegal to use those kinds of punishments on humans."

"Yeah, but that is in the Human Realm," the Owl Lady replied, humming bemusedly. "As you know, Luz, you are no longer in the Human Realm. So, I can use that threat all I want kiddo."

"Keep forgetting that," she grumbled as she stumbled out of the storage room and towards the half bathroom down the wall. "What are we having for breakfast, Eda?" the preteen called once the sound of splashing water went silent. "It smells like something is burning?"

"We were supposed to have pancakes," the child's mentor replied as she began to walk down the hall. "But if King burnt something, we will be going to eat at one of the local cafes instead. I am not in the mood to deal with the smell of smoke today."

Once Luz was done with her routine and dressed in one of her nicer outfits, the mentor and apprentice headed down to the kitchen. King, with their time being longer than expected, had tried to make the first batch of pancakes. But he didn't count for the heat increasing rapidly once the food was placed over top, causing it to blister and burn within moments. 

"We are going out to eat," Eda replied, going to where she placed her staff last night after a long day of potion delivering with Luz, King, and herself splitting the load three weeks. "And once we are done at Hexide, we need to stop at the marketplace to pick up some groceries. We have almost nothing left."

Once she located her staff and placed the needed papers into a bag at the end of her staff, the household of three took off, leaving Hooty to guard and watch over the house until later that afternoon when they returned. 

***

The place that they had decided to go to reminded Luz of a soda place from the black and white photos from an old history book for the 1930s. They had been seated at a booth in a corner, away from prying eyes and given a menu, which thankfully she could read, before the Demoness waitress disappeared, promising to return in a few moments after helping another table, giving the party fo three a chance to look over the menu and decide what they would like to order.

Luz, tapping her foot against the ground, scanned over the Human edibles on the menu. While it was a bit more pricy, her mentor had assured her on the way there she could get something that wouldn't make her sick with how important today was. So, with her mentor's permission, she hoped to find something that sounded familiar from her century instead of the 1930s as the theme of the cafe. After a moment, she made her choice of getting a few slices of pizza with the included breadsticks and a large glass of Apple Vinegar, a children's version of Appleblod, from what Eda told her recently.

"I'm surprised you too us here, Eda," the ten-year-old said, placing her menu back onto the table on top of her mentor's. "It's really expensive and you said that you had to pay money out of your pocket for me to attend Hexide that the scholarship didn't cover. I thought you would be trying to save money than spending it that you may not have."

Eda, glancing from where she had been speaking to someone behind her, looked at her apprentice. "I thought you deserved a treat, kiddo," she replied, not even looking offended. "I have been putting money aside a little each week to do something nice today. After you get some more rest after we return to the Owl House, I thought we could go and do some shopping to get you some more Demon Realm clothing rather than the Human Realm. It wouldn't just benefit you to have more durable clothes but also lighter than our current outfits."

Before she could respond, the server returned, apologizing briefly before taking the orders. "Will there be anything else?" she asked before glancing at Eda, Crismon eyes glancing in the direction of Luz briefly. "Would you like me to get a matt and some crayons for your daughter? The wait maybe a bit long and could possibly keep her busy."

Eda, gritting her teeth, gave the shake of her head. "My apprentice," she began, adding a push on the second word. "Is ten-years-old and should be able to entertain herself. If not, my roommate and I will be able to keep her busy. Now, please go and get our drinks before I ask to speak to your manager."

The waitress, seeing her mistake, gave a short, mute nod. Taking the menus, the Demonness scurried away from the table, leaving them alone.

"Eda," Luz said, astonished. "What was that about? Why were you so rude to the waitress? She was just doing her job.

"I will explain at a later date, kiddo," Eda said with a low growl, teeth bared with a hiss. "For now, there is something that I must speak to you about."

"What do you want to talk to me about, Eda?" Luz stared across the table at her mentor, hazel-brown eyes filled with curiosity. "Is it about what's going on at Hexide?"

"Yes," the older witch nodded. "With you being in my care and considered by law, my ward, I won't be putting your last name "Noceda" for when I regeister you fully. You will have my last name, Clawthorne. So it would be Luz Clawthorne instead of Luz Noceda."

"What's the big deal about that?" She saw nothing wrong with it. If it was how ti worked on the Isles, there was nothing that could change it. "if it is the law, than I will be known as Luz Clawthorne in school."

"There are people, who find out there is a Clawthorne attending school, who may do unsavory things or try to be your friend because of the power that comes with my last name, kiddo," her mentor explained softly. "I just want to warn you ahead of time so that you aren't overwhelmed or shocked if something happens."

Giving a shrug, the child gave a shrug. "Principal Bump said that the school was a safe ground and to watch over me," she reminded as Eda nodded, understanding.

"Now that is over," Eda said, getting out while King, knowing what was going to happened, traded places with her. "Let me fix your hair, kiddo. You have hair all over the place. If I didn't know you, I would expect that you had a prickly boar on top of your head."

"Eddda!" Luz let out a whine as her mentor tried to smooth out her hair and style it into something more presentable and nice. "Eda, you don't have to baby me. I'm not a little Owlet anymore. I can do my hair on my own instead of you doing it."

"Hush," the older witch scolded as she moved away, giving Luz's shoulder a squeeze. "You may be ten-years-old and only coming under my care a month and half ago, kiddo, but you are now counted as by Owlet. With me registered you for school and using Clawthorne as your last name, the only thing not making it official is not registering you with the Emperor Coven's record keeper as my child."

"Eda.." Luz trailed off, cheeks blushing. "You don't have to do that," she explained after a moment. "I don't want to cause any trouble with you getting caught or me being used as bait for you to join the Emperor's Coven like you have spoke about in the past. I am just happy to be attending school with Willow, Gus, and Amity. Finally, after five long years, I have found people my age who want to be friends and don't care about my crazy antics. And it feels great to finally have a school that cares about their students too."

Eda, remembering her moment like this from her own childhood, pulled her apprentice close, leaving her no room for argument. "I never said I was going to do that kiddo but I want to give you a better time here than I had as a child and your experience from when you were in the Human Realm."

She perked up, eyes shining brightly. "What was your childhood like, Eda?" she asked, getting a sly smile on her face. "Was it when the dinosaurs were roaming? Did you have to ride a T-rex to school or did you learn how to count using rocks because you didn't have scrolls or anything fancy like today?"

"Dinosaurs?...T-rex?....Counting with rocks...?" the older witch muttered under her breath before flinching back in mock horror. Placing a hand on her hip, Eda rolled her golden eyes. "I am not old enough to be living with the dinosaurs kiddo," she replied, flashing her a vixenly smile. "I may not look like it but I am only in my early forties. The curse just ages my appearance faster than others around my age."

"Early forties?" echoed the young preteen as realized dawned on her. "You're younger than my Mami, Eda. Mami is only thirty-two. Sorry but you are old and nothing will change that."

"Just wait for it," she teased as the waitress returned with the food. "Sleep with one eye open for the next few nights, Luz. Revenge is best served cold and unexpected."

"You won't try anything," the ten-year-old challenged, beginning to eat her slices of pepperoni pizza. "You luuvvee me too much, Eda."

"That's it," Eda grumbled, taking a sip of her warm cup of Appleblood. "I disown you, kiddo. I am no longer your curantis."

"What?" Luz mumbled through a mouthful. "What is a cuan-tantis?"

"Curantis, Luz. It's a neutral term for a child's caregiver," Eda replied without moving her gaze from her cup of Apple Blood and serving of lyie Fish guts. "And don't walk with your mouth full. That's a choking hazard."

"Yes curantis," Luz said playfully, swallowing her mouthful with a large swig of Apple Vinegar. "I'll remember to be quiet with food in my mouth next time."

"Good," the child's mentor replied with a nod. "Now eat quickly, child. We have to be at Hexide in a half an hour. And we cannot be late for the start of the ceremony."

The ten-year-old didn't have to be told twice as took another bite of her pizza, falling into silence. They sat in silence for another ten minutes before Eda got up, planning to go pay the bill and get to go containers. Flying to Hexide from here would only take fifteen minutes but they would still need to check in at the main table before going to where the ceremony would be held. Leaving now would spare them a minute or two arriving to the area before it started. Eda would rather deal with a grumpy and partly hungry ten-year-old than an angered and annoyed ceremony starter if they interrupted it by arriving late.

Returning with her change and the to-go containers, the food was quickly put in and stored in the back area of the staff. With Luz and King safely deposited in front of her, Eda pushed off the ground, forcing Owlbert to fly slightly faster than normal so they could arrive early enough to allow them to be settled before everything started for the day.

***

When the clock tolled twelve times, Lilith Clawthorne stepped out onto the stage. Beside her, the headmaster of the prestigious school, Principal Bump, went over to the side, raising his hands and beginning to light the candles. Slowly but surely, he moved around the stage, lighting the candles until the gentle glow was the only source needed in the arena. Bowing down to the Coveness, the principal took a step back and disappeared back behind the curtains and out of sight. 

Once the curtains were drawn shut and the room filled with darkness and the glowing light of the candles around her, Lilith turned to face the audience. Behind the golden mask, she made out the future students that would attend Hexide and one day swell into the ranks of the covens of their choosing. One day, shortly, the covens would be ready to take on the next generations of soldiers who would serve under their Emperor and ruler, Belos. Taking a deep breath and nodding to the few acolytes bowing in the front of the stage, she gripped tightly onto her staff, blinking her steely eyes. 

'It is time,' she thought with a bit of apprehension. Doing the opening ceremony for Regenerationis Die was something she had down to routine after being head Coveness for forty years now when she had entered the coven at a measly seventeen-year-old who had just barely finished her secondary training. 'You can do this, Lilith,' she calmed herself, beginning to fall into the proper stance. 'It is like every ceremony that you have done in the past. There is nothing that could change this. Just focus and do what you have done in the past."

Tightening her grip onto the sleek material of her staff, she raised it above her head, allowing the colors of the rainbow of the Human Realm to fill the air, swallowing the crowd and entire room as there were several gasps of awe from the future students and their caregivers. As the light began to pulse, energy crackling at the edges, a blaze of light seared the Emperor's emblem into the air, sizzling overhead, just out of her reach if she tried. 

In a distant and hollow voice she proclaimed, ""Cum Titan virtus et Imperator ductu, sit hoc die de novis initiis et vetus consummatio incipiunt!" before slamming the butt of her staff into the ground.

As the pulsing power of her magic soured from her and into the air, Lilith felt almost weightless. Her cloak billowed around her and hair flapping around, the small circular design on the stage lit up around her. Throwing one arm up and allowing the electricity to travel to her fingertips, she closed her eyes, trying to picture the complex design of swirling light and lightning that would soon come. When the buzzing power lurched away from her, the fifty-seven-year-old did the same with her other arm. With both arms now wrapped firmly around the staff, exhaustion fell onto her shoulders and almost caused her to stop. But with the ceremony still needing to be finished, she pushed on. Soon, she thought with pants, body drained. The ceremony will be over and her magic would return to her, refilling her bile and restoring her strength and energy. 

When she gave one last pulse of energy and the blinding blue light faded, Lilith felt her strength returning to her. No longer panting, the coven leader stood tall, hands gripping onto her slick staff, watching as the acolytes moved through the crowd. They carried in their hands a stick that held the banners of the nine main covens. It would be deemed, one day, that these students would follow in their footsteps just as their parents had done and their parents had done. It would continue that way after she passed and her protege took over her position and rank in the near future. 

As the last acolyte placed the coven banner into its proper holder, Lilith raised her hand, pulling her hood off and taking her mask off. "Welcome, welcome," she cried, handing the clothing items off to a volunteer who quickly scurried behind the curtains. "It is that time of year again for future students to be registered and for the Titan's will to be followed. Now, with gallant hearts, let us start the day."

With her body now free, she gripped onto her long, black skirt and stepped off of the stage, leading the way back to the main courtyard. When there, the students would be split into groups and taken on tours of the campus while their caregivers and guardians dealt with the paperwork. After, towards a late afternoon, they would have a small lunch and then a few games for the students, allowing Lilith to walk around and mingle, giving her a chance to do the residue test. The residue test while fairly simple and almost prehistoric was the best showing which students held the most potential for a future member of the Emperor's Coven. It had been this test that brought her apprentice and protegee, Amity Blight, under her tutelage. 

Stepping into the courtyard and pausing, she allowed the crowd to stream past her, heading towards the areas where they were directed. Once, they were split up, the Regenerationis Die had officially begun. 

***

Luz could hardly keep herself still enough for the helper, a witch appearing older than her mentor, to assign her to a group with several other witches three or four years older than her, making her the youngest. It was only the reminder from Eda ringing her mind that gave her enough self-control to keep her attention on the tour guide as the rest of the crowd was split up. Her group, only containing ten other future students, was on the smaller side, and only had one teacher, a woman who appeared around her Mami's age, who would be showing them around. 

While she appeared to be kind and patient, the tour guide didn't seem to realize that one of the children in her group had yet to fully wrap her head around Pythonissam just yet. If she had, the woman may have had her kept close or someone to translate for her. But Luz, from past experience in the Human Realm, knew better than to interrupt an adult while they were talking. Instead, she frowned and sulked in the back, keeping her head low as she tried to follow what her tour guide was saying. 

Luz had been so preoccupied with what the tour guide was saying that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. 

"Hey, watch it!" an achingly familiar voice cried from the ground. "Can't you wat-. Luz!"

Almost jumping out of her skin, the human preteen almost burst into tears of joy. Finally, much to her relief, there was someone who knew fluent Humaneese and wouldn't put her down for struggling with Pythonissam like in the past. "Amity," she cried, hazel-brown eyes focusing on the older girl who was lying flat on her back. "I am so sorry! I was trying to understand the tour guide but I guess I was trying too hard."

"It's not your fault, Luz," Amity Blight assured her younger friend as she got to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her brand new, saffron skirt that her mentor had gotten her. "I should have been looking where I was going. But, I could come with you on the tour. My mentor isn't expecting me until the meal so I could translate for you what Miss Newyti is saying."

"Yes! Yes!" Luz grasped tightly onto the fourteen-year-old's arm, excitement coursing through her. "Please translate for me! I want to know what she is saying about when I start at Hexide next week. What is she saying, Atty? Is it something important?"

The older student took a moment before giggling softly, shaking her head. "Far from that, Mea," she replied with a smile. "Miss Newyti is just telling a joke. It isn't that funny and rather an old one but still amusing to think about. But.." she linked arms with the younger pupil. "We should hurry up if we don't want to get left behind by her or the others in the group, Luz."

"Okay.." The ten-year-old gave a nod as the two girls prepared to start to head towards the group when a voice, like a person who opened the ceremony, calling to Amity, and by extension, her caused the two Hexidian pupils to stop in their tracks. 

"Miss Blight, there you are." The speaker was a woman who appeared to be middle-aged, possibly in her late forties to early fifties. She had ivory skin, dark blue lips, and cyan eyes. The woman wore a simple, but fancy, out of a black, silk skirt, and a long-sleeved button-up blouse, and her hair neatly tied up in a bun. "I was wondering where you wandered off to now." Her blue-eyed gaze landed on Luz. "Now, who is this?"

"Miss Lilith!" Amity's face flushed from excitement to one of somber and seriousness. "I thought I could mingle with the others until it was time for the feast," she explained sheepishly, noticing Luz look between her and her mentor with a confused expression. "Oh, Miss Lilith this is my friend, Luz." The fourteen-year-old witchling gestured to her mentor then gestured to her friend. "Luz, this is my mentor, Miss Lilith."

Luz, despite being ten-years-old, had experienced several moments when she felt intense, paralyzing fear. The first time being when she almost got hit by a car during one of her first months of attending school. The second time being when she first met Eda and found herself trapped with her mentor looming over her. And the third time was now. Meeting the cyan gaze of her friend's mentor made her stomach pool with dread and her mouth turn biter. "Amity, creo que debería encontrar a mi cuidador." She had begun to shake so much that her words came out in a slur, wrist pressing in her stomach. "Estoy empezando a sentirme mal o algo así.," she explained with a pained expression. 

"Mea," Amity said, turning to face her friend. "You have to remember that many of us don't understand your dialect of Humaneese."

"¡Lo siento! ¡Lo siento mucho! Hoy soy tan olvidadent," Luz babbled, eyes filling up with sorrow. 

"Mientras que muchos no," the woman, Miss Lilith, began, crouching down in front of the child and placing a hand on her forehead. "Soy uno de los pocos que lo hacen. ¿Qué le preocupa a su hijo?""

"My stomach is hurting," she stammered after a moment. "I think I ate something wrong when my caregiver took her roommate and I to a diner a fifteen-minute flight from here."

Miss Lilith scanned her up and down. From resting her head on her forehead, she felt no heat and picked up no signs of sickness from the child. "It might be the overflowing of magic," she explained with a smile. "Sometimes students can get overwhelmed from the abundance of magic that comes with a day like today."

Mute, she gave a nod. 

"Miss Noceda! Mauris Noceda!" a voice called as her tour guide approached her. "Vos postulo ut cum coetus. Quod si nos fuerat in terra aliena, aut urbem?"

"That would be my fault," her friend's mentor said, intervening "I ran into my mentor and her friend, and distracted them. But woman, I would suggest that you pay attention to the needs of your students. Miss Noceda struggles with our tongue but you make no accommodations for her. Do you wish for me to bring this up with the coven heads? If I must, we will be speaking directly about your poor teaching ability."

"I am so sorry, Coveness," the teacher said with a bow of her head. "Please come with me, Miss Noceda. We cannot keep the others waiting for much longer."

"Miss Blight accompany her," Miss Lilith said as the younger child and teacher began to walk away from them. "Report back to me if there is anything that feels like neglectful on the teacher's part."

"Yes, Miss Lilith," the fourteen-year-old said with a short nod. "I will keep a close eye on Luz and the interaction of the teacher who is guiding the tour."

"Good.." The coven leader gave a nod, taking a step back as her apprentice dashed off, bounding with three quick leaps to catch up with her friend. Once side by side, the two girls fell into a loud, giggling conversation with each other, ignoring the teacher who was giving them warning glares. 

***

Eda didn't know whether if she wanted to bang her head against the wall until she got knocked out or listen on a second longer to the boring and dull business jargon that Principal Bump had been droning on for the past hour. She had known when her apprentice had gone off with her tour group, her part of the day would be cupcakes and rainbows. What she hadn't expected to be dull and boring. She would rather be watching paint dry or cleaning Hooty, which were both draining and boring. 

"Kid you owe me big time,' she groaned, resting her head on her arms as she stared down at the paper. The packet, almost two inches thick, held the updated student handbook and several other important things that would need to be done before or soon after the start of the new semester. "I cannot believe that I am sitting through this dry meeting just for you to attend this fancy school way out of our budget and a livable wage. Thank the Titan and any other Gods that we were able to claim an almost full-ride scholarship. If not, you wouldn't be attending Hexide at all. You defiantly owe me big time," she grumbled when she saw there was still another hour left of the guardian meeting before the feast. 

"Now for the last hour," Principal Bump said, finishing his part of the meeting, stepped back, taking his papers with him. "We have a special treat for you today. I'm pleased to introduce the esteemed leader of the Emperor's coven and this year's mystery guest. You know her, you love her! Lilith!"

'Oh, fuck,' Eda thought, sitting up straight and tightening the banda around her ears. Thankfully, with her knowing a mix of magic, she managed to hide her identity partly and give her apprentice witch ears for if her hoodie hood fell down, no one except anyone who knew her, would think she was anything but a witch. 'This is not good. Lily may have gotten older, she still may recognize me or connect the adults when it came to the residue test after the great feast. Shit, I need to keep the kid close to me during the feast and leave after.'

"Thank you," Lilith began as she came to stand in front of the crowd of parents, guardians, and caregivers. " It wasn't easy for me to rise to the top. I also started from humble beginnings. Now I have the highest honor of enforcing the Emperor's will. So be more and seek your children to be more than what you have been able to do. One day, possibly, the Emperor's Coven could await them!"

"Not to sound rude but how or why does this concern us or our children," one of the shabbier-dressed parents asked from towards the back. "Some of our children are lucky enough to even gain a partial or almost stipend for them attend Hexide. How could they go further than us when there are so many odds stacked against them? What you are asking of us or for our children seems almost impossible, Coveness." 

"Yes, it would be hard not just for the children but for you as their guardians," Lilith began, meeting the gaze of the shabbily dressed man. "But it can be done. I am proof of that. My childhood was spent with many hungry nights sharing my tiny bed with my eldest sister, Josphine, and my little sister, Edalyn, while our mother worked herself to the bone, knitting, sewing, and cleaning any type of clothing she could get ahold of to gain a few more snails or if rare a pesco so while all three of us attended Hexide on a full-ride scholarship. WHile Josaphine and I have gone far, my little sister, Edalyn, didn't. but that proves, it takes hard work of both parent and child if their child or children are to go further than what they ever thought was possible. You just can't give up hope or work hard for the future."

From her seat in the back row, Eda rolled her eyes leaning against her seat, arms crossing. She knew that her older sister, fourteen years her senior, always thought with her not joining a coven and being considered a "wanted" criminal meant that she went nowhere in life. She wondered what her older sister truly would think if she knew her youngest sibling was in the same room as her and was here to register her human apprentice so she could be with her friends but also learn magic that she would be unable to teach her. Lilith, most likely, wouldn't just be stunned but also horrified that someone like her was allowed to train a witch of the next generation. 

Rolling her eyes at the thought, she hadn't noticed how much time had passed until the other adults around her began to move, getting to their feet. Quickly, wanting to get away from her sister quick as she could, the Owl Lady got to her feet, grabbing the papers from in front of her. Tucking them under her arm and grabbing her staff, the child's mentor followed the stream of adults to where the children were waiting for their guardians.

Once now in an open area, the older witch took a table in the far corner, hoping to go unnoticed by her sister as she settled. She was close enough to the entrance that she would be able to get herself, her apprentice, and roommate out straight after the feast. Once leaving, they could go to the market place and head back to the Owl House after getting their grocieres. 

"Eda! Eda!" Luz came to a crashing halt in front of her, hazel-brown eyes wide and bright as a bush tail. She collapsed into a chair next to her, pressing into her mentor's side with a smile "I never realized how big Hexide was until we went on the tour. They even have found a translator for me if I need help during classes! I love this school so much. It is way better than attending school in the Human Realm. And guess who I ran into?!"

"Who?"she asked, half listening as she looked around. The food people were already going around, placing the meals down in front of the families. "Who did you run into kiddo? Was it Big Foot or the Tooth Fairy?" the older witch teased, with a sly grin. 

"That was one time! It was a easy mistake," Luz groaned, ear tips turning around as she hid her face in her hands. "But no! Much as that would be cool, it was cooler because I ran into Amity. She is with her mentor currently but she is going to show me around during the game time and take me to some of the older kid games instead of the baby ones."

  
"Kiddo.." The older mentor let out a sigh. She hated breaking the bad news to the child but knew it had to be told. "I don't think that is going to happen. Straight after the feast is done, we have to get to the marketplace before it closes. But I promise next time you have some free time, you can spend time with Amity, Willow, and Gus. You can even invite them to the Owl House for a sleepover or whatever you do with friends these days."

"But.." Luz looked at her, eyes falling. "Why can't we stay? Did I do something wrong, Eda? Is this because you had to practically drag me out of bed today?"

"It's not because of you," King cut in from where he sat on the other side of Luz. "There are other things that came up and we need to go Luz. While you can't spend time with that Blight girl at the minute, you can do it at a later time."

"Like, King said," Eda continued. "Later this week or next week, you can invite Willow, Gus, Amity, and even Amity's older siblings for a sleepover or something like that to make up for it."

Gaze falling down at her steaming serving, the ten-year-old gave a sullen nod, prodding a pile of some purple jelly-like food item. "Okay," she said sorrowfully. "I can understand that, Eda, King."

"You can pick out a special treat," Eda added, trying to cheer up the sullen child. "King and I could even take you to the human side of the market on the other side of Bonesborrow. You can get anything you want from there. Treats, toys, gadgets, or clothes. Anything that you want for a special treat."

"Okay," Luz accepted, beginning to nibble on her food. "Thank you, Eda."

"You're welcome, kiddo," the Owl Lady said kindly, following her apprentice's example as a familiar figure approached them as the feast came to an end. 

"Are you ready, Mea?" Amity asked, popping up behind the ten-year-old, smiling brightly. "The games are about to start and I thought we could get there a little earlier than the others so we can get the good pieces."

"I can't stay, Atty," the ten-year-old replied, getting up as Eda picked up the things they brought with her. "Eda says that we have some important things to do, and I need to go with her."

"Why can't she stay,' Amity demanded, anger pooling into her golden eyes. "Luz deserves to have some fun after what she has been through the past month and a half," she replied bitterly. "She told me what you put her through, Edalyn Clawthorne. With every new scar or injury that I see on her, I worry that one day I won't see her ever again. Can't you give her just one day to not worry about a random magic attack and be able to see one of her friends outside of magic lessons?"

"I-" Eda fell silent, stunned. She knew that the young Blight child had taken somehow after her parents but never expected it to be that much. "Luz is my apprentice and ward. I will do what I think is right for her, Amity Blight. So, now excuse me, it's time for us to leave."

"I will get my mentor," she threatened, not looking pleased. "Miss Lilith has taken an interest with Luz and her future potential of joining the Emperor's Coven when she is of age."

"My apprentice and ward will never join a coven," Eda snarled, grabbing Luz's hand and beginning to drag her towards the door when a voice, icy and cold but proper, cut in. 

"Sister?"


	2. Chapter Two

The small group had fallen silent as the presenter, the leader of the Emperor's Cove, approached them. Lilith Clawthorne's cyan eyes were wide with shock as she stopped beside her apprentice, placing a hand on her shoulder and drawing close. "Sister," she began again, not noticing the presence of Luz until Eda drew the young preteen behind her. "It has been so long since I have seen you last!' She smiled broadly, stepping in front of her apprentice. "What are you doing here? What are you doing with my apprentice's friend, sister?"

"Oh, Lily," Eda said through a grimace, tense. While she knew that her kin discovering Luz would happen with her enrolling in Hexide, the wild witch had hoped it wouldn't happen so soon. There had been no time to prepare Luz for what was about to play out."I just had seen the leader of the Emperor's Coven in action," she lied, a snarl building as Luz pressed into her back, glancing past her mane of gray hair. "Now the feast is over, we will be on our leave."

Rolling her eyes, the coven leader scanned her up and down. "And what you wearing?" she pressed, stifling a smug look. "You look like some sort of trash collector."

A growl rumbling in her throat, the caregiver tensed. While she knew her outfit, a simple pair of black pants and a male human's dress shirt, paled in comparison compared to the fancier clothing of the upper class, Eda had thought that this had been nice and resembled Luz's dress and shoes faintly. "I have potion business and run my stand on the weekends," she replied tartly, beginning to usher Luz and King to one of the sides. "Let's go you two. We have some errands to run before we return to the house."

"Eda, how do you know Miss Lilith?" Luz glance between her mentor and her friend's mentor, hazel-brown eyes filled with confusion. "Did she attend Hexide with you before you dropped out?"

"I repeat, why are you keeping company with someone like my sister, Miss Noceda?" The coven leader pressed gently, not letting the subject drop. "Being seen with her can cause you much trouble down the road."

"I-" The ten-year-old glanced at her mentor. Should she say that she lived with Eda and was her apprentice?

"It is none of your business, miss nosey," Eda rebutted, crossing her arms as she glared at her older sister. "Come on you two, let's head out before it got too late. The marketplace won't stay open too late on the weekends." Placing a hand on Luz's back and beginning to guide her away, the wild witch hissed as Lilith's staff blocked their path. "Move aside, Lilith."

"As I said before, Edalyn, I will not let someone who associates with Miss Blight have their reputation soiled." Gripping tightly onto her staff, Lilith Clawthorne reached over to grab Luz, placing a hand on the preteen's shoulder, fingers clutching at one of the straps of the dress. "She has much potential that will go to waste if I allow her to leave with you. So, if you would kindly release her, I, Miss Blight, and Miss Noceda will be on our way."

"That will not be happening." Narrowing her golden eyes and tightening her hold onto her apprentice, the owl lady refused to back down. "She will be coming with me to run errands than return to our home," she snarled, golden fang flashing. 

"Miss Lilith, p-please be gentle," Amity pleaded from where she sat behind her mentor, golden eyes landing on her friend. Going unnoticed by the two older witches as the pained expression of the ten-year-old and the color rushing from her face. "She doesn't loo-"

"Miss Blight, please let the adults deal with this," Lilith Clawthorne scolded. "This is no conversation that a child should be pulled into."

“But Miss Lilith,” the fourteen-year-old pleaded, voice rising in alarm. “If you just give me a minute to explain!”

“Miss Blight, do not make me punish you,” the Coveness warned in a harsh voice, annoyance washing over her features. “If you keep this up, I will be canceling our training sessions until further notice if you speak out of turn one more time.”

Flinching, Amity gave a mute nod, giving her friend a regretful look.

“Eda,” the ten-year-old began after a moment of silence, face pale and one free arm wrapped around her stomach. “Can we go back to the Owl House instead of going to the marketplace?”

"Kid, we need to get groceries," the wild witch said, not taking her eyes off of her older sister. "We can't go one more day without groceries."

"But-" Tears welled up in Luz's hazel-brown eyes. "Please?" she pleaded feebly.

"For Titan sakes, Edalyn," Lilith scoffed, blinking her eyes with a long sigh. "At least, please tell me that you are feeding the poor child properly. Miss Nocedia looks far too thin for someone of ten summers. Is she even eating more than one meal a day? Or is that another thing that I will have to deal with once she is returned back to her parents or guardians?"

"I am doing the best I can, Lilith," the forty-four-year-old snarled with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Luz gets sick or allergic reaction to almost anything that I serve her. So don't you yell at me for depriving her of food when she can barely eat anything that I can buy at the marketplace."

"Edalyn Meadowna Medosa Clawthorne," Lilith scolded, beginning to tug Luz towards her. "You will release this child at once or I will call my guards. I doubt you will want to get them involved after being deemed no longer a threat."

"Do not use that voice with me," the youngest Clawthorne sister expressed, eyes narrowed. "Your mother's voice no longer works on me. Not after I moved out and lived on my own."

“Do not make me go through with my threat,” chided the head coven leader. “You got to the count of five, Edalyn. Or you will be behind bars before you can cast a spell.”

“Eda, I don’t feel that good,” Luz said with a grimace, looking seconds away from throwing up. Moving her hand to cover her mouth, the ten-year-old gave her mentor a pleading look. “Please, can we sit down? I feel like I am going to throw up.”

“Give me a moment,” her mentor promised, not taking her gaze off of her sister. “We can sit down soon.”

“I-“ The ten-year-old got a panicked look as the color drained from her face, both hands coming to cover her mouth. Amity quickly realized what was going to happen. Golden eyes scanning the area around them, she caught sight of a goblin using a basket to carry dishes. Stepping away from the group, she took the basket, emptying the dishes out before approaching Luz. Holding the bucket, the witchling winced as Luz heaved into the bucket, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

Eyes widening, Eda jerked back, still holding onto her apprentice’s dress. “Holy mother of Titan,” she gasped, not expecting it. “Kid, are you okay? Was it something that you ate?”

Casting the basket to the side and hovering beside her sobbing friend, Amity didn't know what to do. Whenever she had gotten sick, her mother, while trying her best, would leave her to her own means. "Luz, did you eat something bad?" she asked, recalling what her mentor said earlier. "Was it the demon fish or any of the berries?"

"Let's get you something to drink," Lilith said, starting to tug Luz towards the nearby food vendors. "It should hopefully settle your stomach."

"Where do you think you are taking her?" the youngest Clawthorne sister demanded. 

“Stop shaking,” she whispered, hand rubbing her raw throat.  
Lilith and Eda glared at each other, both growling.

“Release her,” the taller one demanded.

“Stop shaking her,” commanded the smaller one, not noticing the worried expression of Amity or the sickly one of the child caught in the middle.

“I feel like I am going to pass out,” the ten-year-old mumbled, eyes beginning to flickering shut. Eda, stiffening, tightening ahold of her grasp onto her apprentices’ arm, preparing to tug her back to their seats. “Edda!”

Lilith hissed. “Where are you taking her?”

“Back to our seats, of course,” the forty-four-year-old explained.

“Um, no. Miss Nocedia needs some water to soothe her stomach and throat.”

“Excuse me, I have learned to recognize her allergic reactions. Now release her, Li-“

“As if you would ever treat her properly with her being sick. Now-“

"Stop! Stop!" Luz's desperate pleas rang through the air as tears began to fall down and dampen the collar of her dress as Lilith and Eda kept yanking her back and forth.

"I have done everything to care prop-"

"Can you for once get your head out of your-"

"I will do what iI think is be-"

There was a bright flash of light and the Clawthorne sisters were swept to the side. The wind, swirling and gusting, moved around Luz, creating a protective barrier around her. 

“Seriously,” roared Amity, face growing red. Striding past her mentor and friend’s mentor, she grabbed Luz by her elbow. Pausing when she saw her swaying, the fourteen-year-old scooped her up, shocked by how light she was. Pushing that to the side, she marched away from her and settled at another table behind one of the brick walls, placing the ten-year-old into one of the better padded chairs.

***

“Titan, how can they be so focused on each other,” the fourteen-year-old muttered under her breath as she slipped her jacket off and placed it around Luz’s shoulders. Grabbing another chair, she pulled it forward then approaching a vendor. Paying for several glasses of water and getting a few washcloths, she sat the items onto the table. Gently soaking the scraps, she turned to the shivering ten-year-old. “Come here, Luz.”  
Luz grimaced but carefully shifted to lean forward, holding the jacket tightly.

Eyes softening, she gently dabbed the wet fabric against her face, cleaning up her tear tracks.

Discarding the other one when it became dirty, she began to use another one, cleaning up the front of her dress, grimacing at the sharp, pungent smell of the bile. “Does anything else hurt, Mea?” she pressed gently, now wiping her cheeks with the dry towel. “Does your head hurt, your throat, or any other body part?”

“My stomach hurts,” she whispered, blinking her hazel-brown eyes, misty eyed. “I’m hungry, Atty,” the human preteen added with a pained grimace. “C-c-could I have some fruit?”

“Try drinking some water first, she advised, picking up the unopened bottle of water. Breaking the seal and holding it out of her, the older witchling stood up. “Stay here, Luz,” she said, gathering up the soiled clothes. “I am going to return these to the vendor. And see if I can find something that won’t upset your stomach.”

“I will,” Luz said with a little smile. Grabbing the water bottle, she took a small sip, grimacing at the burning in her throat. “Ow, she whispered, rubbing her throat. “It burns.”

“Just try to drink more,” Amity suggested as she went over to the vendor. “Thank you for allowing me to use the cloth. By any chance do you sell fruits or any plain food?”

“Let me take a look,” the vendor said as he turned around and went to the back where a cooler sat. Opening it and digging around, he pulled out a package. Taking out a few pieces of food, the food seller held it out to Amity. “That will be thirteen snails, Miss.”

Digging her wallet out of her pocket, she pulled out three Pecos. Placing them on the counter, the fourteen-year-old took the basket. “Keep the change,” she said, turning away. “Luz, I found some fruits from the Human Realm,” she explained to her friend. “I think they’re called strawberries. Do you want to try eating them?”

Face lighting up, the ten-year-old eagerly took the fruit, placing the half drank bottle back onto the table. “Thank you, Amity, she said, smiling brightly.

"You're welcome," Amity responded, taking the seat next to her as Luz began to eat. "You look a lot better now, Luz. I guess you just needed to sit down and get away from the stress that was happening with our two mentors fighting."

"I guess," Luz said, swallowing her second mouthful of strawberries.

***

With her apprentice gone and only she and her sister left, it took Lilith a moment to collect herself. Turning in the direction of her sister, she prepared to scold her once more but stopped when she saw the packet of paperwork given to parents of Hexide students. "Edalyn, where did you get this from?" she demanded, walking over and crouching down. Picking it up, the coven leader thumbed through it, blue eyes scanning over the guardian paperwork section. If she found which child it belonged to, Lilith could return it to the proper owner. "How did you get your hands onto something like this?"

Edalyn, finally coming too, groaned as she sat up, balancing herself on one arm and the other rubbing her head. "Titans that hurt," she muttered, raising her head to see what her older sister held. "Lily, give me that packet," the younger Clawthorne sister snapped, getting shakily to her feet, holding her hand out to her older sister."That is not yours to read. Give it back to me, Lilith."

Ignoring her younger sister, Lilith pressed her lips firmly together when she read, "Luz Noflower Clawthorne," for the student's name, and the student's guardian being one "Edalyn Clawthorne."

"Edalyn, what in Titan's name is this?" The coven leader held the packet of paperwork out to her, numb. When did her little sister have the child? Why didn't her little sister tell her she was a niece? Why did she hide Luz from her and the other members of the Clawthorne family? "Why does my apprentice's friend have you listed as her caregiver? She introduced herself to me as "Miss Noceda" instead of "Miss Clawthorne". Is there something that you aren't telling me."

Eda drew back before lunging forward, talon fingers wrapping around the paper. "Give me that Lilith," she snarled, eyes narrowed and teeth bared in challenge. "This has nothing to do with you."

"This concerns me more than you think," the coven leader replied, refusing to release the grip on the paperwork. "If Luz is my niece, she deserves a proper education and home than what you can give her."

"You and the rest of the Clawthorne clan will never get near her," Eda exclaimed, refusing to back down. "Luz has been through enough as it is without our kin getting involved to mess her life up. Doesn't she deserve to have a proper childhood unlike us, Lily?"

"While I will admit that our childhood was harder than others," the fifty-seven-year-old confessed. "It was our childhood that made us stronger and pushed us to get where we are today. While you become nothing but a freeloader and deadbeat caregiver, I make more than enough to provide for her and myself. So, Edalyn, if you truly care for the child, let me have almost full custody."

"I am not allowing you to have custody," she insisted. "I don't want you to fuck her up or hurt her in any way."

"Keep doing this and I will go to the court," Lilith threatened. "Or I will have Emperor Belos lock you away so I can gain custody of my niece."

Holding back a snarl, Eda sighed. "Every other week," she caved, not wanting to have others pulled into this. "But I get her on holidays."

"Deal," she said in a strained voice. "Now I should get my apprentice and leave. Her parents will be expecting her soon."

**Author's Note:**

> A quick note about this AU. This series is my own take of Mama Eda and Mother Lilith AU. And while the stories are loosely connected, there maybe references or connections to past or to be written books of the series. As the series goes on and the my timeline gets flushed out, there maybe a bigger plot than a simple "culture shock" or discovery that Luz or other witches around her realize.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, and constructive criticism is welcomed in the comments below!


End file.
